Mark Cavendish has crashed on the Tour de France, forcing him to desert the race and with it his hopes of successful a record-breaking thirty fifth stage.

The British bike owner fell to the bottom throughout a contact of wheels within the pelaton - most important group - round 60km from the top of stage eight between Libourne to Limoges.

He lay down holding his shoulder as he acquired medical help earlier than being taken into an ambulance for checks, with race organisers then confirming his withdrawal.

Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, has been level with Belgian great Eddy Merckx on 34 victories and had been bidding to drag forward.

On Friday, he got here inside a number of metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux however ended up second as he was pipped on the line by Belgian's Jasper Philipsen after struggling a mechanical drawback together with his gears.

Cavendish, generally known as the Manx Missile, has lengthy stated this can be his final Tour de France.

The 38-year-old Astana-Qazaqstan rider gained his first Tour phases in 2008, taking 4 that yr, and could be as much as 20 by 2011.

He loved 4 stage victories in 2021, equalling Merckx's document together with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.

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Throughout his profession, Cavendish has gained the Tour de France inexperienced jersey [for best sprinter], world championships and an Olympic medal, in addition to greater than 50 Grand Tour stage wins and a Sports Personality of the Year gong in 2011.

Earlier this yr, two men were jailed after they robbed Cavendish's house, holding the bike owner and his spouse Peta Todd at knifepoint.

They stole a number of objects, together with two costly watches.

A 3rd man accused of being a part of the group that held up Cavendish's house is dealing with trial subsequent yr.